


in shades of grey

by cyclothimic



Category: Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. (TV), Marvel Cinematic Universe
Genre: Canonical Character Death, F/F, Self-Hatred, keep you at a distance because i care too much about you
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-02-14
Updated: 2015-02-14
Packaged: 2018-03-12 19:48:54
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,856
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3353168
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/cyclothimic/pseuds/cyclothimic
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Jemma couldn’t help the laugh that escaped her. They looked to her in surprise. She obscured her mouth with her hand and waved the other hand in the hand uselessly. She wanted to say something but she just couldn’t stop laughing.</p><p>How long has it been since she’d laughed this hard? </p><p>Too damn long, her subconscious grumbled.</p>
            </blockquote>





	in shades of grey

**Author's Note:**

> Waves are breaking through the storm
> 
> Tornado sweeps me off the floor
> 
> See only darker skies in sight
> 
> You want to know what that’s like
> 
> -Thousand Needles, Lea Michele

Coulson found Skye – or Daisy (she would always be Skye to Jemma) – on the floor, weeping into a handful of rocks and dirt. He didn't know what had caused this bout of distress. He only took note of Raina's absence and fragmented Obelisk and the fact that she was literally crying into dirt. It wasn't until Jemma comm-ed him and informed him about Trip did it finally click. He'd noticed the lingering fragments sticking to her skin, easily removed. And the shape of an eye in one of the pieces scattered across the floor.

Once they'd returned, Skye had, without a word, headed down to Vault D and put herself in the space that Ward had recently occupied. Jemma had followed, trailing behind her was the rest of the very worried and – honestly? – fearful team. Skye had refused to meet her eyes – or anyone's, for that matter. She situated herself in the corner, drew her legs up and wrapped her arms around them.

"Put up the force field," she had dully implored.

Jemma's brows met at the bridge of her nose. She looked back at her team who carried looks of disbelief and refusal. She believed she was carrying the same expression too. She took ginger steps forward, not wanting to scare Skye. When she was two feet from the woman, Skye's face grew more stricken and she seemed to have curled deeper into herself, making herself smaller.

Jemma's heart felt as if it was being sliced by a very sharp knife, slowly and agonizingly. Nevertheless, she knelt onto her knees and ducked her head to seek Skye's eyes; those eyes that never lacked welcoming light and warmth.

"Skye," she whispered.

Skye's breath caught audibly. Jemma thought she could hear a whimper. But there wasn't a verbal response. Jemma tried a few more times but she couldn't get anywhere. At one point, Jemma was ready to jump and shake Skye out of her stupor and wake her up.

A hand landed on her shoulder and she looked up to see Fitz looming upon her. He wasn't looking at her though; he was staring at Skye. His eyes were filled with what seemed like comprehension.

"Let me handle it," Fitz said softly.

"Fitz."

"Jemma," he returned, looking down at her, "trust me."

They stared at each other for a long time before she sighed and stood up. She moved back a few steps and waited.

Fitz sauntered towards the wall and leaned back against it, just a few inches from Skye who had secluded herself into a corner. He slid down slowly until he was sitting down, then he mirrored Skye's position.

"Hey," he called out softly. "Skye." Skye shuddered and she buried her head into her arms. "You're alright, Skye."

"He told me my name," Skye whispered after god-knows-how-long. Jemma's eyes widened and she could hear Lance mutter something along the lines of "unbelievable" behind her. " _Daisy_." Skye's voice seemed disembodied and wrought with disgust.

Fitz hummed and nodded. He glanced at Jemma briefly and she nodded. "Well, it doesn't really matter what he tells you," Fitz stated, sounding so penetratingly quiet. "Who do  _you_  want to be?"

Wow. Jemma may have known Fitz longer than she had known anyone in her life, but to see him so sentimental and deep, she could count the number of times she'd seen like this with one hand. Suddenly, she found herself grateful that he was here to talk to Skye. Maybe it might even work.

Skye finally lifted her head and Jemma's stomach plunged when she saw the completely distraught look on Skye's face. "I think…" Skye began. "I think I…killed Trip," her face had crumbled again at the mention of the name. Tears began to roll down her face as her voice grew taut with emotions. "I think I killed him as Daisy."

The lights began to flicker and the floor beneath their feet began to shake mildly.

"What the fuck?" Mack had exclaimed lowly somewhere behind her. She could sense that everyone in the room was alarmed.

Only Jemma and Fitz remained calm enough to see that Skye was overwrought with emotions. Skye began shaking her head and she flailed her arms wildly.

"You all need to leave! Or you'll die!" she cried out.

Jemma clenched her jaw. She spun around to face her team who looked reluctant to leave but also afraid for their lives. She couldn't blame them.

"You guys should leave," she said. "Fitz and I can handle it." Coulson was going to protest but Jemma, god forgives her,  _pushed_ him. "Go!"

In the end, they scurried away, leaving three of the youngest – one of them the most dangerous – alone in the vault. Skye was looking between them frantically and she was trying to push Fitz away but Fitz – as weak as he may looked – was strong. And he wouldn't relent.

Jemma disregarded Skye's previous reservations to her and hastened towards her. She knelt in front of her while Fitz sat beside her. Skye was surrounded.

"Skye, calm down," Jemma said. She couldn't help the gasp when a violent shake disturbed the foundation of the vault and she winced when she saw the increasingly horrified look on her face. "Skye."

The girl in question cried in agony and clutched strands of her hair with both hands, her face crumpled up in tears. "Please stop," she pleaded. Jemma threw a look at Fitz and he had the same look on his face. Skye wasn't pleading them; she was pleading whatever was  _inside_ her.

One of the bulbs above them blew up and shattered. Jemma could barely hide her shriek. She reached out to touch Skye's knee. She drew back when Skye flinched. A second later, she did it again, ignoring her flinch. Jemma couldn't bear to see Skye in such a state. She cupped Skye's tear stained cheek with her other hand.

"Skye, please," she pleaded, her voice thick with unshed tears.

Maybe Skye couldn't hear her. Maybe she was just ignoring her. But Jemma's dam broke when Skye somehow managed to curl deeper into herself, muttering to no one. She listened as Skye begged for  _it_ to stop.

Jemma braved herself, knowing it was probably the only way, and wrapped her arms around Skye, cocooning Skye with her body and fighting Skye back as the girl fought to get Jemma off her.

"Get off me! You'll only get hurt!  _Get off of me, Jemma_!" Skye yelled.

Jemma winced when a punch landed on her abdomen but she was nothing if not stubborn. So she only grunted and tightened her grip.

"You need to calm down, Skye," Jemma yelled in return, knowing Skye wouldn't hear her if she say it because everything around them was too loud. Fitz, god bless him, joined the unfriendly bear hug and assisted Jemma. " _Skye_!" Jemma bellowed when it was too much.

Skye must have heard the frustration laced in her saddened voice because she stopped fighting. Her wails began to shift into soft whimpers and sniffles. The shaking mellowed and things began to slow down. Jemma sighed in relief but she didn't release Skye. She rested her chin on top of Skye's head and ran her hand up and down Skye's back gently. She allowed a drop of tear to make its way into the mess that was Skye's hair before she squeezed her eyes shut.

"You're okay, Skye," she whispered. "We're gonna take care of you."

As soon as it was over, Skye had pushed Jemma way again and refused to look at her. Fitz nodded at her again before retaking his position next to Skye.

He managed to talk Skye into moving into the medical pod upstairs. He claimed that there would be people with medical backgrounds who could look into her condition. People would be able to reach her there easier.

"I only want you near me," Skye had said.

"I don't have a medical background, Skye," Fitz then said patiently. "The person who's most qualified to look into this is Jemma." Jemma nodded vigorously and yet Skye refused to look at her.

It took Skye a few seconds. She shook her head. "No, anybody but her."

Jemma felt the disappointment and anguish crawl their paths into her heart. "Skye."

The girl closed her eyes at her voice. "No."

Fitz looked perplexed and at a loss. And he had a right to be, because Jemma herself – for the first time since she really got to know – didn't know what Skye was thinking.

Half of Jemma wanted to argue and fight for her right to be in the same room with Skye and just  _be_ with Skye. The other half knew that Skye was going through one hell of a day and she definitely didn't need Jemma to make it worse.

In the end, the more sympathetic part of her won.

She nodded at her best friend and weakly said, "Okay."

And then she turned on her heels and left.

* * *

One day. Two days.

It went on and on. Jemma waited and waited.

Triplett's remains were scattered in the sea from the Bus two days after the event. Skye had mentioned to Fitz that Trip would want that. And who were they to deny her? No one was closer to Trip than Skye was after they'd transferred over to the Playground.

So they all got onto the Bus – Skye in the medical pod despite literally  _everyone's_  protests – and May piloted them over the vast and blue sea. Fitz sat inside the pod with Skye while Jemma sat just right outside. People would think they were sitting there to keep Skye's company. But people who really knew them would know that they had other motives too.

The sea terrified them. It chilled her to the bones to see the vast and endless blue sea staring back at them, roaring back at them to go back into its cold with its waves and splashes. Jemma had often felt as if some monsters with tentacles would reach up and grab both her and Fitz into it; this time without the temporary cocoon of the pod.

Fitz once asked her very timidly if they would ever be able to get over this freezing fear of theirs.

"I don't know, Fitz," Jemma had whispered solemnly.

Fitz had nodded, stuffed his hands back into his pockets and headed into the pod to talk to Skye – distracting her – while the doctors poked at her and prodded at her.

Jemma was snapped out of her thoughts when someone patted her shoulder. She turned to the source to see Fitz standing at the door, arms crossed. He pointed behind him, directing at Skye.

"She wants you to know that everything's going to be okay." It didn't matter how he tried to hide it. She could hear the tremor in his voice and the sweat on his forehead. "That  _we_  will be okay." He motioned his hand in the air between them both.

"Fitz!" Skye cried in protest from the inside.

Fitz looked back with a look of feigned innocence. "What? Oh, you didn't mean to tell her it was from you?"

Skye had this look on her face that Jemma didn't realize she had missed an awful lot until she saw it today. That are-you-serious look with her eyes wide and her jaw slightly opened and her nose crinkled in annoyance;  _that_ look. Suddenly, Jemma missed those times when she would laugh every time the girl directed that look at someone – often, Fitz.

Then Fitz shrugged. "Sorry, it's done. Non-refundable."

"I didn't  _pay_ for it, you nut!"

Jemma couldn't help the laugh that escaped her. They looked to her in surprise. She obscured her mouth with her hand and waved the other hand in the hand uselessly. She wanted to say something but she just couldn't stop laughing.

How long has it been since she'd laughed this hard?

 _Too damn long_ , her subconscious grumbled.

As if it finally clicked for them on why she was laughing, Fitz had laughed too while Skye smiled. Skye  _smiled_. It wasn't much. It was something. They've got to start somewhere. And Jemma felt pride slither into her chest when she saw the quirk of Skye's lips.

* * *

That night, Jemma couldn't sleep. So she decided to make herself a cup of chamomile and maybe check on Skye. When she reached the girl's room, she was sleeping on her bed with a frown on her forehead. Fitz had his head on Skye's forearm, his eyes closed. Jemma's heart soured at the sight, a bittersweet smile crept onto her face.

She wished so much that she could be Fitz right now. She wished so much that all this had never happened. She wondered if she looked back, Trip would be standing guard.

But he wouldn't. It happened. He died. Skye was secluding herself from Jemma. It  _happened_.

She decided to take chance by its horns and punched in the cod to open the door. It hissed open. Jemma winced at the noise that seemed like a blast in the quiet. She looked to the occupants carefully and breathed a sigh in relief when they appeared to have not been disturbed.

She crept inside and stood on the other side of the bed, looking down at the girl she'd fallen in love with and the man who she still saw as her best friend in the world. She flashed back to what happened just twelve hours ago: when they had shirked back from watching their team scattering Trip's ash in the sea and  _laughed_.

She quietly placed the cup of chamomile on the bedside table, next to a few bottles of medications. She then grabbed Skye's charts and scanned through it. She fought the huff from escaping when she saw the medical team's mediocre work.

 _And they were supposed to be the_ _doctors_ , her mind screamed.

She found a pen on the table and scribbled notes so the doctors could see her suggestions. And then she put it back where it belonged.

She gasped when she heard Skye's murmuring. She covered her mouth, bug-eyed. Only a little bit of relief managed to replace the shock; the rest was replaced by raw emotions; because Skye was not awake. No, she was having a nightmare. The frown on her face had deepened so much that it had created crests and troughs on her skin. And when Jemma listened closely, Skye was muttering about  _Daisy_  and Cal and Trip.

"I'm sorry, Trip. I'm sorry, Trip. I'm sor – No! My name is not Daisy."

A tear slipped past Skye's closed lids and slid down her cheek in slow motion.

"Oh, Skye," Jemma agonized. Her hand stopped hesitating and gently moved to stroke the frown deepening on Skye's forehead. She stroked from the bridge of Skye's nose to her hairline, and repeat. She kept doing it until Skye's frowning and murmuring ceased. "You'll be okay too."

* * *

Apparently, Skye hadn't been shaking her legs and doing nothing in the medical pod. In her free time, she'd researched highly powerful technologies, all regarding to earthquakes and triggers and alarms. They hadn't known what she was up to until she had summoned the whole team to her.

Of course, only Fitz was allowed inside.

"I designed an alarm system," was the first thing she said. Fitz's eyes had widened while the others were just confused. And then Skye fished out paper after paper from the drawer in the bedside table.

"What in the –" Hunter stammered when Skye took out what was probably the twelfth sheet of paper.

And then Skye proceeded to describe earthquakes and triggers and alarms in such detail that Jemma briefly wondered if Skye really knew nothing about engineering before all these. When she saw the look on Fitz's face, he seemed to be wondering the same himself.

She watched Skye as the syllables fled the girl's lips in rapid succession with only a few tremors here and there and short pauses. She seemed distant and detached. But from the tremors and pauses, Jemma knew the girl was experiencing some emotional turmoil from all these too.

"It might be flawed. Fitz can make some advancement and then you can start building it. As soon as you can," Skye added, her eyes flickering away from them.

It took a few seconds before almost everyone objected to Skye's apparent suggestion.

"No, you do not need an alarm system." Coulson.

"We can handle it." May.

"Skye, this is utterly outrageous." Hunter.

"What the hell are you thinking?" Jemma burst.

"I'm thinking I need you all safe!" Skye retorted in the same manner. Jemma was taken aback for a moment. This was the first time Skye had directly spoken to her in nine days. Skye clenched her hands. The bedside lamp in the pod flickered on and off, yet it didn't go further than that. "I don't know what else I can do." Skye released a humorless laugh. "I can't control it. I don't know  _how_. The only person who can teach me shot himself right in front of me. He named me after a fucking  _flower_  for god's sake."

"We can handle it," May said tersely.

"I don't want you to handle it!" Skye shouted. The ground shook and some equipment from the lab table behind them clatter to the ground. Skye grunted and put her hands to her forehead, clutching the sides of her head. "The alarms will alert you if it gets too much for me. And then you will leave.  _You. Will. Leave. Me. Here. And._ _ **Go**_ _ **.**_ "

"Over my dead freaking body," Fitz said for the first time. They looked to him in shock. "If you think we're gonna leave you here for having an episode, then you've got another shit coming, lady. It's not happening. We – at least  _I_ will be here with you no matter how."

"Fitz –"

Fitz shook his head sternly. "No," he snapped.

"I think Skye's right," Mack voiced from behind them. They looked back to him, all carrying expressions with different levels of frustrations. Jemma especially felt the urge to punch him in the face despite how much bigger he was. "Hear me out." He licked his lips and nodded at Skye. "I don't disagree with Skye. I don't disagree with you all either.  _But_ ," he said before Jemma could say anything, "if Fitz can build the alarm system, then at least we'd know that Skye is having an episode. And then we'll be prepared. It's better than us panicking and not knowing what to do."

"No, that's not what I –"

"We'll do what Mack says," Coulson said, forthright and obviously left no room for discussion. His eyes though, directed at Skye, said a different story. "End of discussion."

The team took their leave eventually. Jemma stood outside the pod alone. Fitz had left to review the designations Skye had made. Skye remained in the same position she was in minutes ago. Jemma watched her and sighed.

"This is ridiculous, Skye," Jemma opinionated.

"I just want you safe," Skye muttered, her eyes clenched shut with pain. "I  _need_  you safe."

"We  _are_ safe," Jemma argued.

Skye lifted her head abruptly and turned to Jemma. The biochemist was slightly flabbergasted at the forlornness lurking behind the girl's eyes.

"And how long will that last, Jem? How long will it be until I have another one of those episodes again? How long until  _I_  put  _you_  in danger again?"

"It doesn't matter," Jemma pushed on. "Even if they leave you, I won't. I don't give a damn if you don't want me here. You've made a friend in me and you can't shake me off that easily."

Skye stared at her and then smiled sadly. "I think we both know you're more than  _just_  a friend, Jemma," she said.

Jemma swallowed. Her breath scattered but she gathered herself. "So are you," she managed to reply.

* * *

It happened.

Fitz finally had the alarm systems mapped out and built to precision. He discreetly installed it with Mack and the few other engineers they still had at night, when Skye was asleep.

Turned out, it was not such a waste of resources because not even one week after it had been installed, Skye had another episode.

Jemma remembered the exact time when the alarm systems blared aloud, alarming everyone and terrifying those who were not as close to Skye as they were.

It was ten in the morning.

Jemma shot up from her seat, removing herself from the microscope and saw the doctors fleeing the scene. She felt the trembles beneath her feet and objects around her began to scatter and fall.

She looked out the window to see May and Hunter sprinting in Skye's direction with Bobbi following close behind. Jemma abandoned her station and yanked open the door to follow them. She could hear Mack cursing and Coulson panting behind her.

She skidded to a stop when she reached the medical pod, bumping into May. May stepped back and allowed Jemma to take her place. Skye was crying and shaking in her bed, curled into a ball with her hands clutching her head. Her face was contorted with writhing emotions that sent a stab right through Jemma's gut.

Fitz was  _not_  in the pod. He was outside, pacing with his hands in his hair. He looked pained and he had a wild-eyed look to him. Jemma jumped when he leaped at the door and banged on it with his fists.

"Skye, let me in!" he cried.

What? Jemma stepped forward and gently took hold of his forearm, so as not to startle him. He swung around, his fists swinging in the air. His face had morphed into one of utter panic.

"Fitz," she said, as calmly as possible, "What happened?"

He licked his lip. He was crying. One of her hands reached up and cupped his cheek, her thumb stroking his rugged skin. "Hey, hey," she crooned, "just tell me what happened." She gasped when the floor jerked wildly and flung them off their balance.

"Why are you out here, Fitz?" Coulson yelled.

Fitz looked up at the man and then back at the girl who looked just about ready to throw herself against the wall inside the pod. "I – I was grabbing tea. She was sleeping! I think she – she was dreaming. A –" Fitz hissed and stomped his feet as he tried to think of the word.

"A nightmare?" Jemma provided.

Fitz clicked his fingers. "Yes! I think she was having that. And when I came back, it was already happening. I  _tried_  to open the –" He pointed frantically at the glass door barricading them from Skye. He looked to Jemma for help.

"The door."

He nodded and stomped on his feet again. His voice was growing louder as his panic increased. "I couldn't get in. And it was getting worse. I tried to open it but I  _couldn't_. I'm – We're locked out! And now I can't get in and this isn't stopping and I don't know. I don't know what…" He stopped abruptly and sank into a kneel, his hands clasped behind his head. He was whining.

Jemma's eyes shifted between Fitz and Skye and then back to Fitz within seconds. She then knelt down in front of Fitz and cupped his cheeks with both of her hands. "Hey, Fitz, hey, listen to me." He lifted his head. Her heart soured when she saw his reddened eyes and trembling lips. "I'm going to try to override whatever's blocking the door from opening again, okay? And then you're gonna go in and you're gonna try to stop this." She shrunk when a light bulb exploded and shattered loudly.

He shook his head with a whimper. "N-no, you go in."

Her shoulders slouched in defeat and she looked at him dejectedly. "Trust me, Fitz. I would if I could. But I can't. I'm certain she'll get more unsteady if I go in." A tear slipped past the edge of her eye against her will. "Please, Fitz," she pleaded.

He nodded after a moment of reluctance and stood up. "Do your worse."

She turned to face the others. "Is a usable computer here?" May pointed to one of the myriad of computers in the room. She headed for it and started typing in codes.

"Are you sure you know what you're doing?" Bobbi asked.

She looked up at Bobbi with some doubt and shook her head. "Skye has taught me a few things before…everything, including how to override a locked door. But I'm not sure if I can do this. I'm pretty sure Skye locked herself in on purpose." She threw a look at Skye who refused to look at any of them.

She cursed a few times when she hit some walls. Coulson kept urging her every few seconds and Jemma could barely snap at him to shut up because couldn't he see that she was  _trying._ A winsome smile crept onto her face when she had access.

The red light on the door turned green.

Fitz punched in the code and the door hissed open.

"What the hell are you doing?" Skye shrieked. "Get out!"

Jemma closed her eyes at the brittle tone that had overtaken Skye's voice, penetrating through her chest. She quietly begged Fitz to fix this; to do this for her. Because god forbid, she couldn't.

"Please," she whispered as quietly as she could.

If you had asked her later, she would tell you she didn't know. It wasn't that she wasn't in the mood to answer. She genuinely did not know. She had lost any sense of time during that period of darkness. She only wished this would stop.

And it did.

The noise of ground shaking and things falling and breaking ceased. The literal shakes ceased. Quiet had taken over. Complete silence. She opened her eyes. It had stopped. The floor was a mess of experiments apparatus and monitors and keyboards and tablets. More than few lamps had been destroyed.

Her gaze shifted to the medical pod. Her eyes widened at the sight of Skye clutching Fitz tightly with the man having a similar embrace on the girl. Skye was sniffling into the material of Fitz's cardigan and other than the slight wince on his face, he showed no signs of complaint.

"See? It's okay now," he gently mentioned.

Skye gasped and shook her head. "There is something really wrong with me," she whimpered.

"You can control it, Skye. You can do it." Jemma abruptly stood from the stool she'd been sitting on and rushed towards the medical pod, standing just outside the glass and staring at Skye intently. " _I trust you_."

* * *

Coulson once summoned her into his office late one night. He was dressed in a T-shirt and a pair of sweatpants and she wasn't sure if he really meant for her to see him like that. He must have been really tired if he just smiled at her and waved her in. She sat down as instructed and watched as he leaned forward, propping on his arms on the table.

"Skye has shown signs of improvements over the past few days," he began.

She couldn't help but smile and nod. "Yes, that's good, isn't it?"

He nodded and sent her a grateful smile. She wasn't sure what for. "I think a big part of it is because of you." He pointed a finger at her to emphasize his point.

Her mouth opened at that. "Oh no, sir. I'm certain everyone's played their part in it."

He nodded again. "Yes," he agreed. "But a big part of it is yours."

She frowned. "Pardon me, sir, but why do you think so?"

He offered an understanding smile and pushed back to lean back into his chair. "I've seen how you look at her." She tensed in her seat. "And I've seen how she looks at you."

"I promise you, sir. There is  _nothing_  between us," she hurriedly explained.

"Oh yes, I know, I know," he said. "And don't worry, I wouldn't blame you or punish you if there was." Her frown deepened. "Who am I to stop true love?"

" _Sir_  –"

He held up a hand. The expression on his face was beginning to scare her. "Agent Simmons, Jemma," he pronounced softly, "I'm tired." She deflated. He looked up at the ceiling and then back at her. "I never realized how exhausting it could be to be the Director of SHIELD – and I'm only handling a handful of agents that stayed loyal. I can't imagine how Fury did it without having a heart attack every other hour." He exhaled in an exhausted manner. "Skye; she's like a daughter to me. And honestly, it hurts that she wouldn't allow anyone of us near her except for Fitz, even though I can understand her point of view. Now, I can only imagine how much it would hurt  _you._ "

"What are you saying?"

He gave her an intense look. "You're her motivation." She squinted. "I know her. And you…are on the top of her list of priorities. She vies to protect you and keep you from harm. And now, she thinks keeping you at a distance will save you. But what she does not know is that she  _needs_  you near her – much more than she needs Fitz – to save herself."

She couldn't help the increased rate of her heartbeat. She couldn't help her breathing rate increasing. She couldn't help the brief short circuit of her brain. Hearing all these words from the Director of SHIELD himself was doing things to her.

"You need her too. She keeps you sane. After your stint at Hydra, she might as well be a major part of what keeps you at bay and from going crazy. I know that for you to not go even a little haywire after being in such an extreme organization will be near impossible. Skye keeps you sane."

She stared at him for a very long period of time. Teardrops were slowly slipping down her cheeks. She clenched her jaw and looked away to gather her composure before she looked back to him and nodded. "You're right, sir," she confirmed, her voice barely stable. "I love her. I'm  _in love_  with her."

He nodded. "Go to her, Jemma. Don't let her stop you from what you both truly needs." And then he shrugged. "Also, we might all get some relief from you two basically eye-fucking each other from across the room when the other isn't looking."

"Sir!" she gasped.

He chuckled.

* * *

She approached the medical pod slowly the next morning. Fitz was in the pod, talking with Skye. She inadvertently smiled when she saw the grin on Skye's face.

She knocked on the glass door and they both turned to her. She turned on the transmitter. "Fitz, can I see you for second?"

He nodded and patted Skye's hand before heading out. "What do you need?"

"Can you leave us both alone for a moment? It's time I talk to her. Properly," she added.

He eyed her and then he smiled mysteriously. "Do your worst," he joked and then escaped the room before she could reply.

She laughed helplessly and turned back to Skye, who was wringing her fingers and eying her nervously. She sobered instantly and stepped into the medical pod without hesitation. Skye looked up in shock.

"You can't come in," she demanded sharply. Jemma narrowed her eyes at the girl. Her fingers touched the keypad to close the door. "Jemma, get out."

Jemma lifted her chin and deliberately took two steps so she could stand directly next to Skye who was near panicking. The fact that nothing was shaking or flickering was a good sign that Skye was gaining control.

" _Jemma_."

"No," Jemma replied shortly. Skye's eyes were wide. Jemma dragged a chair and sat down on it. "Enough, Skye. Enough of this keeping us at a distance. Enough of not talking to me. Enough of ignoring my skills as doctor even though I am not one. Enough of ignoring the massive elephant hovering between us.  _Enough_."

"What on earth are you talking about?" Skye pretended.

Jemma glared at her. If looks could kill, Skye might have been dead. "You know exactly what I'm talking about," she said, her tone not at all matching the glare she was sending the girl.

"Jemma –"

"I love you," Jemma announced. Skye stopped short and was basically gaping at her. "There, I said it. I love you. A lot. Very much. I'm pretty sure you are my soul mate. In fact, I'm pretty sure that you love me too."

"What –"

"No," Jemma cut her off again. "You don't get to talk. You've been calling the shots for weeks. I've let you. And I've had enough. Now, it's my turn." When Skye was quiet, Jemma continued, "I love you, Skye. And I've been utterly miserable for the past two months because you wouldn't even let me one foot from you. It's cruel. It's idiotic. It's driving me nuts!" She didn't realize her voice was shaking until now. "I want to be able to take care of you. I want to be able to touch you. I want to be near you. I  _want_ you. I  _need_ you. Do you even realize the pain I've been in for the past month? To see you like this? Caged like an animal when you don't even deserve this?"

"It's not been easy for me too!" Skye interrupted angrily. When the bedside lamp flickered, she took a few deep breaths. "I don't want it to be like this too! It's not like I asked for this!"

"Except you did!" Jemma nearly screamed. "You forbade me from coming in here. You only  _really_  talk to Fitz! It's like I'm invisible!"

"Don't you –"

"What? Am I wrong? Did you not make this decision?" Skye closed her eyes and clenched her jaw, a sharp V forming on her forehead. "I'm right and you know it," Jemma's voice lowered to a whisper. She stood up and leaned forward, her forehead almost touching Skye's. "Open your eyes, darling." Skye obeyed. They looked into each other's eyes. "Let me help you. Let me be here for you. Let me love you," she enunciated each syllable. "Just  _let me_."

Skye swallowed audibly. She was clenching her fists by her sides, as if stopping herself from doing something. "Jemma," she whispered. Jemma hummed. Skye sighed and released a helpless chuckle. She nodded mildly. "Okay."

Jemma's lips spread into a grin. "Yeah?"

Skye bit her lip and grinned as well. "Yeah."

Without further ado, Jemma canceled the distance between them and took Skye's lips with hers. And Jemma was sure that she had never kissed anyone who made her felt like this before.

"I love you too," Skye whispered against her lips.

Jemma moaned when Skye's hand cupped the back of her head and pulled her closer.

"Good, because I'm not going anywhere," Jemma said as soon as they drew back from each other.


End file.
